It was the worst piece of news coach Khidir Khamis and Balestier Khalsa could possibly receive after knowing their captain and custodian Zaiful Nizam, was to miss up to six months of action after sustaining an injury against Albirex Niigata.
Indeed coach Khidir must've realised that to lose Zaiful made Balestier's loss seem to Albirex seem trivial as the impact of the captain's departure has already begun to manifest itself; as seen by the humiliating 7-1 defeat to Brunei DPMM. Significantly, it was a game to be forgotten for the Tigers as they were simply atrocious especially at the back without their skipper to guide them.